By Johnathan Paoli
Gauteng education and sport MEC Matome Chiloane has celebrated the collective achievements of Gauteng’s sporting community, highlighting how sports can unite communities, foster pride and showcase the transformative power of athletic excellence.
The 13th Gauteng Sport Awards celebrated the province’s sporting excellence on Sunday night under the theme “Celebrating Excellence, Inspiring the Youth”. It honoured the achievements of athletes who exemplified Gauteng’s moniker as the “Home of Champions”.
Among the night’s biggest winners was rising football star Relebohile Mofokeng, crowned Sport Personality of the Year after a spectacular season with Orlando Pirates.
Mofokeng, a 20-year-old footballer from Sharpeville, has taken the country by storm.
A graduate of the School of Excellence, he was scouted by Orlando Pirates, where he quickly became an integral part of the team; with performances during the 2023/2024 Premier Soccer League season earning him the DSTV Young Player of the Season award and helping Pirates secure victories in both the Nedbank Cup and the MTN Cup.
Following a public vote via SMS, Mofokeng triumphed over a formidable group of finalists that included sprinter Akani Simbine, MMA fighter Dricus Du Plessis, goalkeeper Ronwen Williams and Olympic swimmer Tatjana Smith.
Another highlight of the evening was the recognition of Tatjana Smith, who was named Sportswoman of the Year.
Smith, an Olympic swimmer, had a stellar performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she claimed a gold medal in the 100m breaststroke with a remarkable time of 1:05.00 and a silver medal in the 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:19.01.
Smith’s accomplishments earned her over R350,000 in prize money, cementing her as one of the country’s premier athletes.
She was also among the nine Gauteng-based Olympians who received special cash incentives from the provincial sport, arts, culture and recreation department for their medal-winning performances.
The Lifetime Achiever Award went to Peter Manero Ngobeni, a trailblazing South African sprinter.
Ngobeni, once the fastest man in the country, won multiple South African sprint titles during his illustrious career.
In 1985, he became the first Black sprinter to receive Springbok Colours, breaking barriers in a segregated sports landscape.
The award, selected by Chiloane, recognised Ngobeni’s enduring legacy and contributions to South African athletics.
The awards also celebrated the achievements of nine athletes from the province who represented the country at the 2024 Paris Olympics, including Smith, sprinter Akani Simbine, and para-athlete Pieter du Preez, who received special cash incentives in recognition of their success.
A total of 59 finalists from various sporting disciplines were honoured at the awards, with each receiving R15,000, while category winners were awarded an additional R25,000 and automatically qualified for the National South African Sports Awards later this year.
Chiloane previously said this year’s period has been extended to include the recently held Olympics and ongoing Paralympics.
He said the awards were highly anticipated after an exciting and successful sporting season with many athletes, federations and clubs working hard and achieving significant success; and further hailed the province for producing many successful athletes.
“We will, therefore, use the Sports Awards to profile our province as a destination for all sportsmen and women from across the country and Africa to come and excel and be recognised for their talent,” Chiloane said.
Chiloane said there was ample evidence to demonstrate that sport and recreation did make a difference to people’s lives as well as the larger communities in which they lived in, and that by recognising their achievements, the awards aimed to inspire young athletes and encourage them to pursue excellence in sports.
INSIDE EDUCATION
